BCSP Notes . . .

Playing for the West squad that lost 20-13 to the East, Wimbush, the only NCAA Div. II player invited to the all-star game, ran for 74 yards on four carries including a scintillating Hula Bowl-record 59-yard TD run in the third quarter.

Commentators on ESPN, which carried the game live, said scouts considered Wimbush one of the two best athletes at the game. He showed his speed, strength and elusiveness on his scoring run as he broke tackles, cut across the field and outran defenders to the end zone.

The 6-2, 220-pound SIAC Player of the Year led all black college rushers this season with 1,840 yards and 22 TDs for the Wildcats averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Wimbush ran for 1,348 yards and 14 TDs while averaging 7.3 yards per carry in the 2003 season.

More than 50 pro scouts watched the teams' workouts during the week.

Crews Passes
Louis Crews, who led Alabama A&M to its only undefeated football season and four conference titles, died last Thursday. He was 87.

Crews died at Huntsville Hospital, the school announced Friday in a statement.

Crews, a native of Bessemer, compiled a 94-52-3 record from 1960-75 and is the school's all-time winningest coach. The school later named its stadium after Crews

Before joining the AAMU staff in 1960, Crews logged an extensive coaching career that included stints at Wilberforce, Alcorn State, Bishop and Jarvis Christian.

A former Alabama A&M quarterback and running back, he coached the Bulldogs to an 8-0 record in 1963 and the team remained undefeated in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for four years. He finished with four SIAC championships.

His most famous player was receiver John Stallworth, who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Crews, nicknamed "Sugar Bear," refused to take credit for his teams' success before his 1993 induction into the SIAC Hall of Fame.

"We had some outstanding athletes when I was head coach," he said at the time. "You can't be a great coach unless you have great athletes."

Crews was fired as head football coach following the 1975 season after back-to-back losing records, but remained at the school to teach physical education until retiring in 1982.

Florida A&M Band at Super Bowl XXXIX
Florida A&M University's Marching 100 Band is headed to the Super Bowl XXXIX pre-game show Feb. 6 in Jacksonville.

The performance is expected to last only six minutes and will be witnessed by the 79,000 fans in the sold-out Alltel Stadium. The performance is not likely to be seen by millions of television viewers around the world.

The band is scheduled to perform sometime between 5:56 p.m. and 6:04 p.m., just before Alicia Keys sings "America the Beautiful" in a tribute to Ray Charles.

"Their legend preceded them, and we at the NFL are very familiar with the band and what they can do to stir up the crowd in a stadium setting," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday.

Dr. Julian White, a Jacksonville native and director of university bands at FAMU, said the band was "proud to represent FAMU, Tallahassee and Florida."

"It has been 36 years since the band first performed at the Super Bowl," White said in a statement. "This is quite an accomplishment because it means that they recognize the value of our artistic performance."

In 1969, the band performed at Super Bowl III in Miami's Orange Bowl. It has also performed at the Champs Elysee in Paris and made back-to-back visits to former President Bill Clinton's inaugurations.

FAMU's interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant was equally pleased.

"This invitation reflects the high esteem accorded to our band," Bryant said in the same release. "I am certain that their performance will be spectacular and unforgettable."

The band has been asked to travel to Jacksonville on Feb. 4 for a dress rehearsal and then return Sunday for the performance.

Hampton promotes Taylor
Hampton Head Football Coach Joe Taylor has added Assistant Director of Athletics to his title, the school announced last week. Taylor, who has guided the Pirates' gridiron fortunes since 1992, will assume duties immediately involving fundraising and moving the football program forward.

"He will be a positive addition to the athletics administration," said Hampton President, Dr. William Harvey.

© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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